


What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

by everlark_5eva



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:18:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3198587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everlark_5eva/pseuds/everlark_5eva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss is upset her little sister is away for the holidays, but maybe a certain blond neighbour and a bit of mistletoe can help her spend her holiday season in cheer. Modern day AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

**Author's Note:**

> This is super late but I just got this idea and decided to post it on here! Hope you can pretend it's still holiday season! 
> 
> As always, all mistakes are mine.
> 
> I'm everlark-5eva on tumblr if you want to hit me up. 
> 
> All recognisable characters belong to Suzanne Collins (you go girl!).

“Pretty cold out there, huh?” he asked her, looking towards the lobby entrance. It was the season’s first blizzard and Toronto wasn’t getting any warmer.  Katniss looked up at the man, bundled in his blue snow jacket and scarf, blond waves sprinkled with snowflakes. He looked like Prince Charming, well if Prince Charming lived in Antarctica.

“Yeah, well that’s December for you,” she replied, reaching for her mail box, trying to not look into his blue eyes. She pretended to immerse herself to into her mail, reading through bills and colourful post cards from Prim and Rory. After graduating from med school, Prim had decided to travel around South America with her boyfriend Rory. They were currently in Brazil, planning to celebrate with palm trees and warm ocean waves. They sent Katniss post cards and souvenirs from the cities they visited.  

“Have you lived here long? It’s just I haven’t seen you around…” the man asked her, searching her eyes. She looked away from him again, closing her mail box.  His blue eyes were distracting, and the last thing she needed was a distraction, especially when work was busy. _Not that he was actually interested_ , Katniss thought.

“I’ve lived here for a while.” She decided that short and blunt replies might dissuade him from speaking with her. Ever since Prim moved in with Rory, Katniss had found it difficult to get to know her neighbours. She didn’t really know how to talk to strangers about the weather or really make any sort of small talk; especially with good looking blonde neighbours who had _really_ enchanting eyes and husky kind voices.

“Oh, okay.” All of a sudden she felt guilty for shutting him down. He looked away, trying to busy himself with his mail, flipping through Christmas flyers.

“What about you?”  She asked, trying to be polite, hoping she sounded genuine.

“What?”

“Have you lived here long?”

“Yeah, I’ve lived here my whole life.”

“Well then you’re probably used to the Christmas decorations.” Katniss scowled, gesturing towards the ornament-heavy Christmas tree, large wreaths and the abundance of mistletoe scattered across the ceiling.

“I, uh, kind of like it,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “Gets everybody in the Christmas spirit.” He looked embarrassed, as if he was responsible for the holiday vomit all over the lobby.

“That’s an understatement.”

“Don’t worry Peeta, Katniss here is just a regular Scrooge,” Johanna said as she walked in, opening her mailbox.

“I’m not a _Scrooge_. I just think that there is an excessive amount of mistletoe,” she replied, crossing my arms over my chest. And there really was. It was in the lobby, the laundry rooms and even in the elevators! Johanna looked between Peeta and Katniss, smirking.

“You got that right,” she said, looking at the mistletoe hanging above their heads.  They both looked up, cheeks burning as red as the ribbon tied around the plant. “You know what they say, brainless. You and lover boy over there gotta kiss.”

Katniss looked at Peeta, realising he was gazing at her intensely, a bright flush across his face. He smiled softly, scratching the back of his neck under his scarf.

Instead of replying, Katniss hurried off to her room, vying to kill Johanna the next time she saw her.

 

* * *

 

She knew she should have finished her presentation sooner. Every time she got an assignment from work she promised herself she wouldn’t procrastinate but always wound up doing her work at the last minute.  She had to create the slideshow and results for the company’s budget but instead opted to watch Christmas movies.  

However, when she did finish her presentation, Katniss realised she didn’t have any clean clothes. Sighing, she grabbed her pouch of quarters and laundry basket and headed towards the washers and dryers on the floor above her.

As she pushed quarters into her second last load of dirty clothes, Katniss mumbled grumpily. Wearing only a pair of old shorts (which were so short they seemed more like underwear) and a threadbare singlet she had worn so many times it was basically see through, she was freezing. She definitely needed to get more organised. Katniss hadn’t ever lived without Prim and wasn’t nearly as good as her little sister when it came to household duties and roles.  

She only had one more basket to do and then could spend her evening catching up on Game of Thrones. Who needed friends or family when you had Jon Snow to keep you company a week before Christmas?

“Uh, is this yours?” Katniss looked behind her shoulder to see the blonde man she had met the other week, Peeta, holding a pair green and red lacy panties that were _definitely_ hers. Her face burnt as she scowled, snatching the underwear from his hands. “Quite, uh, festive.”

“Jo thought it would make a funny gift,” Katniss scowled, stuff it into the washer and closing the lid.

“That sounds like her,” Peeta laughed, quieting down when he quickly looked down at her chest, turning away as heat crawled up his neck. Katniss watched him, confused. When she looked down to realise that her nipples were completely erect in the cold air, her dark areolas clearly visible in her think tank top, she crossed her arms across her chest, turning away from him.

A few moments passed in silence and Peeta moved to the washing machine beside her. He looked embarrassed and noting from his lack of small talk, he regretted looking down. Katniss didn’t know why she felt warmth pool into the pit of her stomach when she noticed him looking at her like that. It had been a long time since she’d been with anyone. She peered at him, noticing his muscular arms in his singlet and his firm behind in his loose pants. She gulped at the sight of his tensing back, looking away when he began to walk closer to her.

“Sorry, uh, it’s the only empty one,” he said. He looked away then, realising that they were standing underneath mistletoe, again. Katniss caught herself thinking about his pale pink lips, how they would feel against her own. _What?_ she thought, _What was that?_

She wasn’t the only one thinking about locking lips. She followed Peeta’s gaze towards the ceiling. “Here we are again,” he said, looking at her with an unreadable expression. His pupils had enlarged, making his normally very blue eyes seem almost black in the dim light of the small laundry.

She felt tingles through her body when he looked at her lips, taking her empty basket back to her apartment, leaving Peeta standing alone amongst the _whirr!_ of washing machines.

 

* * *

It’d been a long day at work. Her asshole co-worker, Cato, who had been trying to get with her for months, asked her if she wanted his “wrapped package”. Regardless of his promise of safe sex, she was inclined to submit a plea for sexual harassment.

Along with dickhead Cato, everyone was trying to close as many cases so that they could spend their holiday season with their family. Katniss on the other hand, had only planned dinner (which consisted of three bottles of wine and a pre-made pie) with Johanna at her apartment on Christmas day.

When they were younger, Prim decorated the house with wreaths, bells and ribbons, while Katniss helped her father hunt the meat for their Christmas dinner. Even though they didn’t share hobbies, Prim and Katniss loved spending their winter break together, watching as many holiday themed movies as they possibly could.

Even after their father passed away and their mother become distant, they vowed to never spend a Christmas without each other and continued the tradition of Prim’s decorations and Katniss’ meat.  

But then Rory decided to take Prim on a tour across South America, planning to ask her to marry him in Mexico.  When he had asked for Katniss’ blessing at Prim’s graduation, he was sweating so much he kept wiping his forehead every minute. He didn’t need to be so nervous though’ Katniss knew Rory was a sweet guy who loved Prim almost as much as she did.  

It was Christmas Eve and as Katniss pressed the elevator button, she imagined getting into her apartment and sitting in front of Netflix with a cup of instant hot chocolate. As she stepped into the elevator, someone yelled behind her.

“Hold the elevator please!”

Katniss looked behind her to see Peeta running her towards her, brushing off snowflakes from his hair when he had stepped inside. Suddenly, Katniss was overcome with the desire to brush the white flakes off his long eyelashes, but stopped herself when Peeta began speaking.

“It’s a blizzard out there. We’ll definitely have a white Christmas this year.” She nodded, unsure of what to say. Instead they rode quietly, accompanied by the elevator music. Maintaining the holiday theme, the music seemed to be Christmas Carols. Katniss sighed.

“Even the music is holiday themed,” Katniss groaned, until the elevator stopped abruptly. “What’s wrong?”

Peeta looked towards the buttons and sighed. “It stuck. I’ve been meaning to get it fixed. We’ll just have to call the repair guy.” He pressed a red button on the panel.

“Hello?” a gruff voice asked from the speakers.

“Hey, Haymitch. It’s Peeta. The elevator is jammed. Can you come get us out?”

“Us? Who are you with kid?”

“Katniss,” I supplied. “Can you get us out or what?”

“Don’t trust my abilities, Sweetheart?” Haymitch asked, teasing Katniss. Katniss was about to yell when Peeta cut her off.

“Is there anything we can do in the mean time?” Peeta asked, ignoring Katniss’ glare and looking around the small elevator in an effort to find something to fix their dilemma.

“Nothing you can do kid. Just stay alive.”

 

* * *

“It’s been an hour! Why isn’t he here yet?” Katniss asked exasperated.

“I think that may have been my fault,” Peeta replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. “I gave Haymitch an early Christmas present.”

“What did you give him?” Katniss asked him suspiciously.

“Lots of eggnog. With less egg, and well, more _nog_.” Katniss sighed, running her hands through her hair. They had taken off their jackets, scarves and hats, sitting in the opposite corners of the elevator.

“He’s getting drunk while we’re stuck in an elevator, starving and cold on Christmas Eve.”

Peeta shied away, looking at the carpet.  Katniss felt horrible. It wasn’t Peeta’s fault that the elevator was broken. She wanted to say something, but as always, didn’t know how. She did know how to talk about Prim thought.

“You know, spending Christmas with someone who loved holiday cheer as much as my sister, made me despise Carols with their _Jingle Bells_! and _red-nosed reindeers_.”

Peeta laughed and Katniss enjoyed the sound, promising herself she would make him laugh more. “So you don’t like the elevator music?” Peeta asked, smiling. Just then, Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘ _What are you doing New Year’s Eve?’_ came on. Katniss sighed.

“No, no. This song is beautiful. At least the landlord has some decent taste in music.” Katniss said, humming along to the sensual rhythm of the music. “But there’s still an abundance of mistletoe in the elevator.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Peeta said, cheeks turning pink slightly.

“Wait, what?” Katniss asked confused. “ _You’re_ the landlord?”

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, but you just hated the Christmas decorations and all the mistletoe and I didn’t want you to hate _me_.”

“Why did you not want me to hate you?” Katniss asked, oblivious to her charm.

“Because I like you Katniss. Ever since you walked in the lobby to get your mail, scowling at me like I was a nosy neighbour.” Peeta replied, catching Katniss off guard.

“You _like_ me?” Katniss asked, still confused.

“Almost as much as I like Christmas decorations,” Peeta chuckled, looking at Katniss closely. Before Katniss could finish her sentence, the soft voice of Ella Fitzgerald cut her off.

_Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight  
When it’s exactly twelve o clock that night_

Katniss didn’t need to look at her phone to know what the time was. It was midnight.

Peeta and Katniss looked at each other, sensing the mistletoe above their heads. Peeta made his way towards her, walking until they were toe to toe. Lifting Katniss’ chin, he looked into her smoky eyes and then down at her lips in silent permission. Instead of a small nod, Katniss leaned and met his lips, moulding hers to hiss in a searing kiss.

They broke apart after a moment, breathing heavily as they held on to each other. Peeta moved his hands to Katniss’ lower back, pulling her in closer. “So, what are you doing New Year’s Eve?”


End file.
